My Elder Advocate

Elderly Patient Is Thrown Out of NY Presbyterian/Cornell Hospital And Forced Into A Nursing Home

 

By Jack Halpern, CEO, My Elder Advocate

On a recent Friday afternoon Martin D. was resting in his private room at NY Presbyterian/Cornell Hospital recuperating from a MRSA Infection that he contracted at the hospital because of the negligence of one of the staff physicians. Suddenly 3 burly ambulance attendants came into his room with a stretcher, and very unceremoniously announced that he was being transferred to a nursing home in New Rochelle.

 

Feeding Tubes For Elders: Benefit or Abuse?

By Jack Halpern, CEO, My Elder Advocate

Imbedded in today’s nursing home culture is a practice that has been notoriously associated with elder abuse in nursing homes. Nationwide, many nursing home residents with advanced cognitive impairment are tube fed (35% according to some studies), despite no demonstrable benefits of this intervention in this population. Studies suggest that organizational features of nursing homes are associated with this practice, but underlying reasons for these associations are poorly understood. A feeding tube in a sub-standard nursing home can be a death sentence. My Elder Advocate has been very successful in preventing this abuse from occurring in many cases, where we were called in early to advocate for clients who were losing weight in nursing homes.

A powerful message for your group or organization

 

"I highly recommend Jack's talk if you are, will be, or could be in the role of caregiver but aren't 100% sure you know the rights of elders and how to safeguard them, and what to watch out for to ensure your loved one is properly cared for. The difference could be a matter of life or death."   

But what about the caregiver?

 

By Jack Halpern, CEO, My Elder Advocate

It’s clearly traumatic to elders physically, emotionally, and psychologically when they require a hospital or nursing home.

But it’s equally traumatic to another person, too. That’s the caregiver –– usually a family member –– who has no choice but to step in and support that elder family member.

 

Elders' Refusals to Eat: What's a Caregiver to Do?

First, Do No Harm

One need not be a doctor to adhere to the ""first do no harm"" clause of the Hippocratic Oath. It would be negligent, irresponsible, and may have criminal implications, if a caregiver were to allow a family member to starve to death. Therefore, the short and simplest answer to the question often posed by caregivers is that there is a point where elders who refuse to eat need prompt medical intervention. Seek medical intervention long before the situation gets out of hand.

via www.eldercarelink.com

Hospitals Shirk Their Responsibility When Discharging Elders

By Jack Halpern, Founder And CEO, My Elder Advocate

More and more hospitals today are bowing to reimbursement pressures and abrogating their responsibilities to safely discharge their patients to nursing homes by using referral agencies or “head hunters.” This practice is becoming more prevalent in hospitals.

There are three types of nursing home referral agencies. The first type is looking to bring residents to it’s own facilities. Sentosa Care Corp., for example, has it’s own agency. They scour hospitals looking for residents for their own (in many cases sub-standard) facilities.

A Largely Unknown Veterans' Benefit - Worth Knowing About

The Veterans' Administration offers an Improved Pension with Aid and Attendance (A&A) benefit that is largely unknown. Unfortunately, this most important benefit is overlooked by many families with Veterans or surviving spouses who need additional monies to help care for ailing parents or loved ones. Check out www.VeteranAid.org

Check out Barbara Friesner's (www.AgewiseLiving.com) radio show on Radio America. She interviews Debbie Burak, Founder ofVeteranAid.org.

Caring for the Caregivers

Editorial - Caring for the Caregivers - NYTimes.com.

Relatives Can Be Paid To Look After Elderly

By VICTORIA E. KNIGHT, Wall Street Journal

Caring for a family member is a responsibility many people bear. It can also be a source of income.

So-called "caregiver agreements" -- formal contracts under which relatives are hired to care for elderly family members -- have been around for a while. But with the economic downturn, more families may be open to entering into such arrangements, some attorneys and caregiver advocates say.

Sandwich Generation Struggles With Caregiver Responsibilities

A new study released today by The Consulting Practice at Bright Horizons indicates that members of the sandwich generation -- those with child and elder caregiving responsibilities -- are increasingly concerned about the balance of work and responding to the additional caregiving needs of older relatives. However, the same study confirms that employers who provide back-up child and elder care are helping to maintain productivity and commitment for those employees during times when there is a breakdown in care for loved ones -- children, parents, or in some cases, spouses.